Lemonade & Vanilla
by lyradaisical
Summary: S1 canon-divergent. The kids are in their final year of collège so Marinette plans a celebratory picnic trip. Hiding away in the shade because he can't risk getting sunburned before a photoshoot, Adrien ponders over why she gets along with all of the other boys except for him.
1. Lemonade

Despite being a walking disaster, Marinette Dupain-Cheng had the affection of every boy in their school. In his class alone, Adrien could see how well she got along with the guys. It was no secret that Nathaniel had had a massive crush on her. Max enjoyed the fact that she was into video games. The aloof Ivan and the cocky Kim were on good terms will her. Heck, even his best friend Nino was once unable to resist her charm.

Sweet Marinette—pretty, cute, friendly and fell enough times for anyone to want to swoop in to protect her. All the guys loved being on the receiving end of her bright and cheery smiles and she gladly sent them in their direction. That is if you weren't Adrien Agreste.

Adrien could not, for the life of him, figure out why she always looked like a deer caught in headlights when she interacted with him. He was starting to feel isolated and left out of the group. He could feel his affections slowly growing for her but there was no sweet smile in return—only a look of nervousness and fear.

Adrien watched as she sassily bantered with Kim and Max and as she chatted with Nathaniel, the boy's face the shade of a tomato, matching his hair perfectly. She greeted Ivan and the often angry-looking student gave her a smile reserved just for her.

Nino had gotten over his crush on Marinette but that didn't mean that they weren't close. Nino going out with Alya had only made their relationship better. Adrien was not only envious of Nino for having Marinette's attention but also of Marinette who was better buds with all the guys than he could ever be.

So here they were, all enjoying themselves in the sun as the friends had taken a trip to a park for a celebratory end of year picnic. Marinette had thoughtfully organized the whole event and invited the whole student body. Everyone loved the idea and pitched in, making sure they had enough funds for transportation and catering. Mlle. Bustier was even kind enough to come as a chaperone with a few of her friends. Their last year at Francoise Dupont was almost over and soon they'd be heading to a new school. Adrien had to admit that he was a little sad about it as he'd come to love his first school so much.

Adrien looked out towards the swimming pool under the shade of an umbrella and sighed. Everyone was in their swimsuits, enjoying their time in the pool but he was sitting on a lounge chair, in the shade, fully clothed because god forbid he get sunburn the day before a photoshoot. His father would not be happy.

Her bubbly laughter caught his attention and his eyes automatically zoned in on her. She had gotten out of the pool and was slightly bent over as she talked to Alya in the pool. She wore a scuba-style bikini, color-blocked pink and black with a high neck that was zippered down center. He likened it to his superhero outfit and briefly wondered if the zipper was functional. He felt his face grow warm, berating himself for his ungentlemanly thoughts. And her hair—her normal pigtails were gone and her dark tresses were pulled up into a high bun, loose tendrils cascading around her sun-kissed face.

"Dude,"

Adrien blinked and turned to his right to see Nino sit down in the lounge chair next to him. He sipped on a cup of lemonade and stared out at the pool before turning to Adrien.

"Get out there man. You need the sun." Nino said as he eyed the boy. "Just slap on a ton of sunscreen and you'll be fine!"

Adrien just sighed again. He didn't trust himself with having to reapply sunscreen once it wore out. It was likely that he'd jump out there, have a blast and totally forget to lather himself up again. Then he'd end up red as a lobster and on the receiving end of his father's wrath. Staying in the shade was his best bet.

"You're staring." Nino said and Adrien suddenly straightened up, with a blush on his face. Nino's laugh followed. "Go chat her up, become best buds."

"You don't understand." Adrien sighed for the umpteenth time. "Every time I talk to her, she just freezes up and looks terrified. I'm starting to think that she hates me."

At his confession, Nino burst out in laughter. He knew that was hardly the case. Alya had told him about Marinette's gigantic crush on Adrien and despite wanting to just tell Adrien after seeing his friend's depressed state, Alya made him keep his mouth shut. He obeyed her of course—Alya was not a force to be reckoned with.

"Marinette? Hate? I don't think she has a single hateful bone in her body. If she does, it's fully reserved for Chloé." Nino held back a chortle. Chloé, who seemed to have a major vendetta against Marinette, refused to come to the event planned by Marinette, not that anyone really cared. Some nasty words were spoken by the blonde but Marinette just brushed her off with a roll of her eyes. Nino was proud of her. Marinette used to just deal with being Chloé's victim but had become more confident after meeting Alya. Now she easily stood her own against the mayor's daughter.

"Well... It certainly doesn't help that I'm childhood friends with Chloé." Adrien mumbled in his hand, after returning to his slumped over position with his head dropped in his palm.

"Whatever dude. I'm gonna head back in and you'd better be in there before everyone notices and throws you in, _without _sunscreen." Nino remarked and headed back over to the pool.

His eyes followed his friend's back and he was shocked when Nino approached Marinette and shoved her into the pool. He heard her sharp, startled cry and a splash followed.

"Nino!" She yelled after surfacing and their surrounding classmates laughed.

"That wasn't cool, Nino."

Adrien was surprised that the statement came from Kim. The tall boy approached Marinette from behind and placed his hands on her shoulders. Adrien wasn't sure how he felt about the contact, his stomach turning uncomfortably as Marinette didn't seem to mind and only turned slightly to give Kim a smile.

"Come on Marinette, I'll help you out." Kim said.

Adrien unconsciously narrowed his eyes and frowned when Kim dipped lower into the pool, wrapped his arms around Marinette's lower body and lifted her up. But instead of helping her like he said, he pulled her further into the pool.

"W-wait! Kim!" She cried, eyes wide as he laughed mischievously. "Kim!" Marinette shrieked as he lifted her higher and dunked her back in, backwards and head first, shouting 'German suplex!'

Adrien stared wide-eyed at the scene as everyone burst out into laughter and he couldn't suppress the small grin that was making its way onto his face. It was mean but he couldn't help being amused. Marinette surfaced, sputtering and heaving, furiously wiping the water away from her face.

"Sorry, Marinette. You okay?" Kim appeared by her again with a look of concern etched on his face. She nodded slightly, still rubbing her eyes. "Here, let me help you out." Kim said again and held her, but a grin replaced his mock concern. Adrien saw her wide eyes briefly before she yelped and was dunked once again.

Poor, innocent, naive Marinette. This time Adrien was less amused as she genuinely looked like she was in pain from the water rushing into her ears and nose.

"Kim!" She tried to shout and glare angrily but her pout only came out looking completely harmless.

Adrien felt his heart thump in his chest. He didn't know he could feel this way outside of being Chat Noir and being by his Lady's side. He wanted to turn his eyes away but he saw Nino approach Marinette, tapping her shoulder and then pointing at him. He immediately shot up when her eyes landed on him.

Nino was saying something to her and she nodded along, wide eyes still on him. He averted his eyes, face reddened from being pointed out. Damn that Nino. What the hell was he telling her? So absorbed in his embarrassment, he didn't notice the shadow that appeared.

"A-Adrien," Marinette stammered.

Adrien was startled and finally noticed the two dark shadows that her legs cast in his field of view. He looked up to see a glistening Marinette standing nervously in front of him. But aside from the nervousness, she held a look of concern deep in her sky-colored eyes—eyes so reminiscent of Ladybug, he thought.

He gulped as she stood, head slightly tilted to wring the water out of her hair. His eyes trailed over her face, her eyes shy and lips pressed in a thin line. Her hands were tangled in her raven locks and the thought of running his hands through her hair briefly crossed his mind. His face was set ablaze and he was sure that now he looked just as nervous as she did.

"Why don't you join us?" She asked, surprisingly without a stutter and he watched her intently as she talked. "Nino told me you forgot your sunscreen. You can use me— I mean mine! You can use mine, if you'd like, that is." There it was, he inwardly laughed.

No, he was sure Marinette didn't hate him. She was much too nice to him to hate him. It was clear whenever she was unhappy with someone, evident whenever she sassed with Chloé. It had reminded him of Ladybug whenever she stood up to her. She didn't hate him, he knew, but she wasn't exactly comfortable around him and that's what bothered him. If he thought about it, she was definitely less skittish around him now, compared to when they first met (he grimaced, remembering their less than ideal meeting.) There were a few occasions where they seemed to get along amicably and Adrien got to really see and appreciate the real Marinette—but awkwardness aside, she was still always guarded with him.

"Thanks. But I didn't forget it. I just don't think I'd remember to reapply once I got out there and I don't want to think about what would happen if I got sunburned." He explained.

Marinette frowned deeply, clearly displeased with the fact that he couldn't have fun in fear of the sun. It didn't suit her at all, he thought. Marinette looked best with a smile.

"Well," She sat down next to him in Nino's lounge chair and looked at the other students playing in the water. "I have a solution for that." She said and Adrien blinked at her. She turned to him and grinned, making his heart slam against his chest. The expression reminded him so much of his red-clad beauty that it made his mind swirl in confusion.

"I had actually gotten out to reapply when Nino shoved me back in." She said, her eyes softening and grin turning into a gentle smile. "I burn fairly easily so I have to put sunscreen on often. I'll remind you to reapply whenever I do."

"O-oh..." Real smooth Adrien. He heard her giggle before she got up and walked two chairs over to rummage in her bag. He couldn't stop himself from watching her hips sway as she walked. He forced his eyes away when they lingered on her bikini clad butt for longer than necessary.

Marinette pulled out her bottle of sunscreen and returned, holding it up happily. She returned to Nino's chair and flipped open the cap of the bottle.

"So... Join us?" She asked, tilting her head cutely.

He didn't trust himself to talk and merely nodded. Her eyes brightened and a large smile made its way onto her face. He was awed. It was the cheery smile that he'd been jealous that everyone else received. It made his lips curl up and it was then that he understood why the male population became grinning fools around her. Her smile somehow made you feel special—like you mattered.

Agreeing to join her, he began to undress from the waist up and the smiling Marinette had become a blubbering mess once again. When he was done, he looked over to find her with her face buried in her hands.

"Marinette?" Adrien said her name questioningly.

"Huh?" She pulled her face up to meet his and suddenly they were in her hands again. He could see her red-tinged skin through her fingers and even the tips of her ears were colored. She dropped her hands and her eyes looked everywhere but at him.

Was she embarrassed? Adrien wondered mirthfully. She didn't seem to mind all the other shirtless boys in the pool. A mischievous idea hit him and he grinned.

"Say, Marinette..." Adrien started and she turned to him, still bright red in the face. Her eyes though, avoided meeting his.

"Y-yes?" She squeaked.

"Do you mind helping me put this sunscreen on? I can't get my back."

If it were possible, Marinette's face became even redder at the question. Her eyes finally met his and her lips quivered as she tried to get a response out. Her shy eyes flickered away again and he thanked the stars for such a rewarding sight.

She nodded, lips pressed in an odd mix of a smile and a grimace. Adrien thanked her and handed her his bottle of sunscreen. She got up from her seat and sat behind him nervously.

Adrien immediately regretted his decision as he became acutely aware of how close she was to him. His whole body heated up when her hand gingerly touched his back, spreading the lotion around. Why did he put himself in this situation? He hadn't felt the heat of the summer day before but now his body was burning up. He hoped that she just assumed it was from the weather. Her hand ran along his shoulder blades, making sure to cover him thoroughly. She then proceeded to go lower and his body went rigid as her soft fingers glided down his spine. She concentrated on his lower back and her fingertips brushed the edge of his shorts.

Oh god, did they just go under his waistband a little?

He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the heat in his face to subside. She was silent the whole time and he wondered if she was feeling as embarrassed as he was. When she was finished, she removed her hand and despite his earlier mental protests, he wanted her to keep her hands on him. He was officially losing it.

"Thanks Marinette—" He turned to thank her only to find his face a few inches from hers. Before he could be surprised, she yelped and tumbled backwards off of the chair. There she was, the ever-falling Marinette. Adrien quickly stood and went to her side, helping her up. He noticed a scrape on her elbow and felt a pang of guilt.

"I'm sorry," He stared at the reddening injury. "You got hurt because of me." He looked so devastated even though it was just a scrape and Marinette couldn't help but feel bad even though she was the one that was hurt.

"No!" She blurted out, forcing his eyes back up to hers and she grew increasingly timid. "I-I mean, it's not your fault. I'm just really clumsy." She rambled. "And it's not bad. Look, not even bleeding."

Adrien couldn't help but smile at her sincerity. She was too nice for her own good. She removed herself from his grasp and returned to Nino's chair and began applying sunscreen to herself and he did the same for all the parts he could reach. Even though he was busy lotioning himself up, his eyes flitted over to her often, taking in the sight of her spreading sunscreen over her limbs.

Another reason why all the guys liked her—under that cute and adorable pig-tailed guise—

She was ridiculously attractive.

Her arms and legs were nicely toned, as if she'd never missed a workout day in her life. He'd seen her running around a lot, due to her perpetual lateness and despite her frequent trips and falls, she was pretty athletic. If he remembered correctly, she was faring well in gym.

Her eyes fluttered up and caught his gaze and he inhaled sharply, caught in the act of ogling her. He quickly turned towards the pool.

"R-ready?" He stuttered and she blinked, probably baffled at his sudden strange behavior.

"Yeah, let's go." She said and stood up. He followed suit and they both walked towards the pool together. When Marinette entered, Alya waded over to her and nudged her with her elbow.

Adrien exhaled and sunk himself deep into the water, relishing the feeling of the cool water on his burning skin. He didn't know why he was letting Marinette get to him so much today. He peered at her. Maybe it was because her hair was different. Maybe it was because of the bikini. Maybe it was because her wet skin sparkled under the light of the sun. He quickly splashed the cold, chlorinated water on his face and shook his head, trying to go back to his relaxed state. He was pulled out of his calm when a large splash of water came his way, drenching his head and making his hair heavy.

Nino laughed, hand on stomach and pointing at Adrien. Adrien narrowed his eyes at his friend and a smirk made its way onto his face. He pulled himself up and splashed Nino back, the latter dodging and swimming away. Adrien quickly went after him but Nino just laughed as he went. Just as he was about to land a big one on the DJ, Nino swam behind Marinette and used her as a shield.

"Nino—agh!" She scolded him but he had placed his hands on her shoulders and shoved her hard into an unsuspecting Adrien. She crashed right into him and pushed them both under the water.

Adrien's mind went blank when he felt her body pressed against his, with nothing but her thin swimsuit between them. He could feel her softness against his bare skin and blood rushed to his face at the closeness. His vision was blurred under water but he could see that she looked just as shocked as he felt. They both swam back up to the surface, faces flushed, cold water of the pool not helping them cool down at all.

Both Alya and Nino were laughing now. Marinette was visibly fuming as she stuck her arm out and pointed at them.

"Prepare to meet your doom!" Marinette announced and Alya and Nino quickly turned to escape. She was surprisingly fast in water but Alya and Nino enlisted the help of Kim and Alix to help them out.

"Eek!" Marinette shrieked as Kim launched a giant wave at her. Four on one didn't seem fair but Marinette hadn't complained at all. In fact, she looked like she was enjoying herself as did the others. He had to admit, he felt a little lonely just standing off to the side on his own.

"Adrien, back me up!" Marinette shouted over to him. He was surprised by the sudden request but then he felt his heart flutter and a big smile stretched onto his face.

She had accepted him. They all accepted him and he gladly joined in on their fun.

—

"Ah, I'm beat." Nino stretched. The four friends had gotten enough play in the pool and were completely famished. They changed out of their swimsuits and started heading back to the picnic area where the buffet was set up.

Adrien couldn't remember the last time he had so much fun (aside from his time with Ladybug of course). His eyes trailed over to Marinette. He had her to thank for that. Of course Nino and Alya as well but Marinette's acceptance made him feel like he finally belonged.

Marinette and Alya walked ahead and chatted happily while he and Nino hung back. He found his eyes looking down at her swaying hips again. This time, they were covered with a pair of cuffed denim shorts but they still had the same mesmerizing effect on him.

"Duuuude," Nino drawled.

Adrien felt the tips of his ears burn, knowing exactly what Nino's tone meant. He had been caught staring at Marinette's derrière and Nino wasn't going to let him live it down. Thinking of what to say in his defense, a shout grabbed all of their attention.

"Watch out!"

A volleyball was making its way directly towards Marinette's head and she stared bug-eyed at it. Adrien rushed in to try to deflect it but before he came close, Marinette had already lifted her arms and caught the speeding ball before it flattened her nose. Adrien sighed.

But his feeling of relief was short lived as the action set off a chain reaction of unfortunate events for Marinette. The force of the catch forced her back into the refreshments table and one of the coolers fell down onto the picnic bench, making it pop up and jut out, slapping her behind her legs. The unexpected hit made her knees buckle and she fell over, instinctively grasping for anything nearby to keep her up. Said thing was the lemonade cooler and it fell over, unscrewing in the process. She shrieked when the ice cold lemonade drenched her front side completely, making her loose baby pink tee cling to her body in an immodest transparency.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had even worse luck than Chat Noir, if that was possible.

Marinette wrapped her arms around herself, fighting off her blush as her striped bra became visible through her soaked shirt. Adrien swiftly swooped in and put his white button-down over her body. Alya snapped at the responsible party, yelling at them for playing ball near the picnic area. While she continued lambasting them, Nino rounded over to Marinette's other side and he and Adrien helped her up. She stumbled and winced, turning her body and looking down at the back of her legs.

Adrien frowned deeply as he followed her eyes down to the bright red marks on the back of her legs. The rough, rotted wood of the bench had scraped her legs and the wound on her right leg looked pretty bad as blood was seeping out and sliding down.

"Ugh!" Alya shook her head and walked back over to her friends. "Just sit here a bit. I'm going to find Mlle. Bustier." Alya said and stalked off, still miffed about the incident. Adrien and Nino helped Marinette over to another bench and they sat down. She held Adrien's shirt closer to her body and shivered, still feeling cold from the iced lemonade.

"How're your legs feeling?" Nino asked with concern.

"They sting a little but it's not too bad." Marinette smiled sheepishly. "I'm feeling more mortified than anything." She admitted. It was undoubtedly an embarrassing and graceless fall. Tack on the see-through shirt and she was feeling just swell.

Alya returned shortly and gestured over to the group of ball-playing students. Mlle. Bustier stood before them, lecturing them sternly.

"She said there's a first aid kid on the bus. Let's get you patched up." Alya grinned.

"No, no. You guys stay here and eat. I know you're all starving. I can handle myself." Marinette said as she stood.

"You sure?" Alya's eyebrow quirked. She didn't want to leave her friend but she had to admit that she was dying for a sandwich at the moment.

"Yeah, I'm just getting some bandages. No need for all of us to go." Marinette laughed at the absurdity of all four of them going all the way out into the parking lot just to get some bandages. "Really, I'll be fine."

They just peered at her skeptically. The statement was a far cry from the truth. Marinette was the queen of clumsiness if the scrapes on her elbow and behind her legs were any indication. She'd probably come back with more dings and cuts than when she left.

"Uh," Adrien started, raising his hand slightly. "I'll take her. You guys can eat." He offered. A roguish look appeared in Alya's eyes as she looked toward her best friend.

"Great!" Alya swung her arm around Nino's shoulders and grinned. She didn't even have to set anything up this time. "Thanks Adrien. I'll leave Queen Klutz to you." She chuckled much to Marinette's annoyance.

"Shall we go, My Lady?" Adrien bowed and held his hand out to Marinette. Alya and Nino just snickered at the play.

He paused, realizing what he just said. The line was distinctively Chat Noir and something he reserved for Ladybug. He quickly dismissed the thought. He was only saying it because Alya had called her Queen Klutz. There was nothing else behind it. His eyes flickered towards Marinette to see her surprised look before amusement settled into her eyes.

"Why thank you, Sir Knight." Marinette took his hand and Alya blinked, surprised by Marinette's sudden lack of shyness. "We'll be back in a bit. Don't eat everything." Marinette grinned and released Adrien's hand to adjust his shirt around herself.

Marinette had to be lying when she said her legs weren't bad because they sure as hell looked terrible. The flesh on her left leg was starting to swell and bruise and her right leg had a giant patch of smeared blood on it.

"Sorry about this." Marinette apologized. His eyes looked up from her legs and he blinked. It still managed to surprise him when she spoke to him without stuttering. But her cheeks were still distinctly pink as she talked.

"It's no problem." He replied. "Are you sure your legs are okay?" His eyes went back down to her legs and he frowned. A melodious laughter rang out and he was sure that ladybugs were fluttering around in his stomach because that's all he could think about when he listened to Marinette laughing.

"I've been through worse." She replied. "Sometimes I wonder how I managed to live this long." Marinette joked.

He stared at her profile. The way her eyes crinkled when she smiled was just like Ladybug's. He got the fluttery feeling in the pit of his stomach again and turned forward in haste. He reminded himself that Ladybug was Lady Luck. It couldn't be possible for so many misfortunes to fall upon her.

When they reached the bus, they found the doors open and entered without any reservations. Adrien found the first aid kit tucked under the first row seat and pulled it out. Marinette seated herself on the opposite side of him and sighed.

"I probably should have washed off first. Now I'm super sticky from the lemonade." Marinette discretely tugged the sticky t-shirt from her body. "I'm sorry, I ruined your shirt." She said, looking down at the several wet patches along the white cotton fabric.

"It's really not a big deal. Glad I could help." He really was. He was glad to finally have friends and the feeling he got from actually being helpful to them made him feel great. Adrien handed her the kit and sat down. He noticed her discomfort as she wiggled around in her sticky clothes.

"If you want, you can change out of your shirt and just wear mine." Adrien suggested. Her face reddened and she stared at him wide-eyed and he suddenly grew nervous, wondering if what he just suggested was inappropriate. "Um, I-I didn't mean anything strange by that. You just seemed uncomfortable so—" He rambled and Marinette couldn't hold back her laughter.

"Thanks, Adrien," She breathed after her fit of laughter. "But I don't think that'll work out." She said as she pulled the shirt in front of her and pressed her hand against the inside of it. He could clearly see the flesh toned hand through the shirt.

"I see..." He murmured. He hoped she didn't think he suggested that knowing that the shirt was too white and thin to be of use to her.

"I'll ask Alya later if she has any spare clothes I can borrow."

Adrien bit his lip, wondering if his next suggestion would be too forward. He didn't want to scare her after she'd finally warmed up to him. He watched her open up the box and pulled out a bottle of antiseptic and some gauze pads.

"How about you change into my t-shirt then? I'll wear the white shirt."

Marinette blinked at him as he pointed to the shirt he was currently wearing, a plain olive colored tee. A nice shade of strawberry covered her features and she stumbled on her words.

"I-I couldn't do that. This shirt already has lemonade on it and it'd be uncomfortable for you to wear." She motioned to the wet patches on his white shirt. Adrien smiled and shook his head. A few patches was nothing. She was covered in a sticky mess and he'd rather deal with a few patches than let her sit in discomfort.

He pulled his t-shirt off and heard her squeak in embarrassment as she covered her face, much like she did earlier at the pool. It was endearing how embarrassed she became and he found that he liked teasing her. Was he becoming a sadist?

He stood up and handed her his shirt and she took it, being careful not to look up at his bare chest. Adrien bit back a laugh at how cute she was being.

"I'll wait outside while you change." He said and turned to leave when she grabbed his hand.

"W-wait, you don't have a shirt on." She stuttered. She didn't want him to have to stand outside half-naked. "I'll just change in the back of the bus."

Awkward was an understatement. He lowered his head, face ablaze, as he slouched in the front seat. His ears were keenly aware of the rustling of clothes at the back of the bus as she changed. He should have just waited outside. Even then, he wasn't sure if the images of Marinette changing wouldn't assault his mind.

He heard her footsteps coming back towards the front and he sat up. He saw his white shirt passed over his shoulder and he turned around to take it. But the image of her clad in his shirt made blood rush to his head and he quickly turned forward.

"Better?" He eked out as he put his shirt on and began buttoning up.

"Much. Thank you." She thanked him and returned to her previous seat. "Now to get this taken care of."

Adrien turned to her to see her grimacing as she carefully cleaned the smeared blood off of her leg with the alcohol soaked gauze. He was sure he had the same expression on his face. After she was done cleaning it, she grabbed a big piece of gauze and some tape. None of the bandages were big enough for the large cut. She turned her leg uncomfortably and twisted awkwardly, trying to make sure to position the gauze over the injury fully lest she wanted to end up crying later whilst trying to peel tape off of the wound.

"Do you need help?" He asked as she struggled to get the bandage onto the back of her leg properly.

"Yeah, thanks. This is harder than I thought." Marinette frowned. She handed him the gauze and stood up, turning around for him to place it on.

He knelt down to put the gauze on but noticed blood smeared around again from her movement. He reached into the first aid kit and pulled out some more gauze. He carefully wiped it, making sure not to irritate her broken skin before placing the clean gauze pad over the wound. Her leg trembled as he placed pressure on it and he apologized.

Marinette tore a piece of tape and handed it to him so that he could tape the gauze in place. Once he was done, he realized that his face was awfully close to her thighs. She smelled sweet and tangy, courtesy of the lemonade. He quickly backed away and stood up when some rather indecent thoughts swirled in his mind.

"Thanks again." Marinette laughed sheepishly. "Ready to head back—"

Right as she finished asking, there was a deep rumble and the bus shook, knocking her back into her seat. Adrien gripped onto the seats to keep steady as he looked back towards the picnic area.

'An akuma!' The thought crossed his mind.

"Marinette, you stay here while I go check out what's going on. Don't go anywhere." Adrien said.

"O-okay. I'll stay right here." She stumbled on her words nervously. "Be careful!" She said and he rushed out of the bus.

Chat Noir arrived at the scene to see an akumatized student standing on a picnic table, volleyball in hand. She looked remarkably similar to one of the students responsible for the ball incident earlier. He face-palmed. Clearly Mlle. Bustier had dished out a punishment that was deemed unfair to the student.

Chat announced his arrival with a witty remark and was greeted with a volleyball rushing towards him. He scrambled out of the way and heard a loud crash as the ball made contact with the ground. He turned to see that the ball had made a mini crater.

_'Whoa! Don't want to get hit with that!' _He turned his attention back to the akuma to see a slight smirk on her face.

"The first-aid kit was on the bus, was it?" The villain grinned and immediately disappeared from her spot. Chat's heart pounded in his chest, realizing where the villain as going.

He whirled around and sped back to the bus, hoping to get there before the akuma. But his stomach dropped when he heard an explosion in the distance. His heart thudded loudly in his ears and he prayed that she was safe. He rushed through the trees and used his baton to make one final vault in the sky.

He felt his blood run cold. The bus that he was in just minutes ago was on its side, ripped into two and scraps of metal littered the surrounding area. Smoke rose from the destroyed vehicle and he stared with wide eyes.

She was in there. He told her to stay in there.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he rushed forward unthinkingly.

"Marinette—!"

"She's not in there!" A familiar voice shouted out, cutting off his cry for his classmate. An explosion set off next to him and pushed him back. He had a moment of clarity to see that Ladybug had saved him by deflecting the volleyball headed towards him into the ground a few feet away with her yoyo. The superheroine landed nimbly next to him and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Be careful, Kitty." She scolded him, lips pressed together and brows knitted in worry. But he didn't have time to be concerned with Ladybug's lecture. His head whipped back over to the bus.

"I told her to run towards the lake." Ladybug offered and he turned back to her, frightened look still plastered on his face. Her eyes softened at his concern and she brought a hand up to pat his cheek gently. There was an odd scent of lemons that lingered in the air when Ladybug arrived and it calmed him, as he thought of Marinette. "Come on, we have an akuma to deal with."

Chat had no interest in messing around this time. He had to see for his own eyes that Marinette was safe. The two turned their attention to the akuma that peered down at them with animosity. She let out a snort and spoke, voice dripping with hatred.

"Are you here to save little miss klutz too?" There was a bitterness to her tone and Chat could not figure out why this student was so irritated with Marinette. She couldn't possibly be the one upset when Marinette was the victim here. "So now she has superheroes at her feet, too? What a joke. She's a sham. Falling over her own feet just to get the boys to pay attention to her. Chat felt a fire burn within him as he listened to her speak ill of Marinette.

"And can you believe her? Hanging all over Adrien today—I figured I'd teach her a lesson but then one of my stupid classmates called out to her."

Chat couldn't quite name the feeling that was bubbling up inside of him. All he knew was that he wanted to claw the smug look off her face. His body trembled with unbridled anger but before he could do something that he would regret, Ladybug took his hand and squeezed it.

He looked over to her to see that she was angry, her blue eyes narrowed at the girl. But she kept calm. There were no reassuring words from her, explaining that she was saying those things because of the akuma. Because they knew it wasn't true. It'd be folly to suggest that all wrongdoings were because of the akuma. It was becoming clearer the more they continued the superhero business that some people were just terrible. The girl had wanted to hurt Marinette before she was possessed and purifying the akuma wouldn't change that.

"Her wristband." Ladybug whispered. She knew that the girl was part of a volleyball team and like Kim, she always wore a wristband to help soak up sweat. It was the only thing that remained after her transformation. "Distract her for me." Chat nodded but before he went off, there was another tug on his hand. "I know you're upset but don't do any rash." She added. There was something unreadable in her expression. The ocean blue of her eyes squelched the blazing fury that he felt and he calmed down, giving her his trademark grin.

"I shan't disappoint you, My Lady." He winked and bowed.

Ladybug let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes but the amusement on her face was unmistakable. They went their separate ways and commenced their plan to release the akuma. Ladybug swung up atop a tree and kept her eyes on the action. Chat was running along the ground, taunting the girl and nimbly avoiding the volleyballs that she served at him. She felt her heart stop when one of the blasts sent half of the bus flying at him. He quickly used cataclysm to destroy it and she sighed in relief. She called for her lucky charm and a baseball bat dropped from the sky into her hands. She raised an eyebrow at the sports equipment. Definitely the wrong sport.

She looked back down to see that Chat was now using his baton to return the balls back to the akuma. Like earlier, she was able to rebound the ball will her yoyo without it exploding until it hit the ground. An idea came to her and she caught Chat's eye, waving the bat up for him to see. He seemed to understand what her plan was and smirked.

The akuma served another explosive ball towards Chat and he readied his baton. As it closed in, he hit the ball back but it completely missed the enemy. She let out a laugh and ridiculed him for his terrible aim.

"Nice set!" She heard Ladybug's voice behind her and she swiftly turned around to see that Ladybug had leapt into the sky with bat in hand and swung swiftly, making direct contact with the ball, performing a makeshift spike towards the girl. The ball hit her square in the chest and sent her flying to the ground. Chat sprung towards her and ripped the wristband off of her arm, the purple butterfly emerging shortly thereafter.

Ladybug captured the akuma in her yoyo and cleansed it before tossing the bat up and returning everything to how it was. She peered at the brunette that was kneeling on the ground, confused and dazed. She didn't feel like offering any comforting words to her but she knew that she had to say something to her. She approached her and knelt down, placing a hand on her shoulder. A look of dread flittered past her face when she looked up to see Ladybug and she immediately felt remorse. She had only wanted to hurt Marinette a little, not kill her. Her hands trembled and Ladybug quietly told her to go back to the others.

Ladybug sighed and turned around towards Chat to find that he was gone. She whipped her head towards the lake to see him quickly vaulting through the sky, no doubt towards her civilian self. Her eyes widened and she cursed.

She had let her transformation go too hastily as she rushed like a maniac towards the lake before Chat Noir got there. She skidded on the ground, tripping and falling painfully. As if she didn't have enough battle scars for the day. She pulled herself off of her knees and rolled onto her butt. She pulled her knees up, examining them carefully. Great, she thought. Now she had injuries on the front and back of her legs. She sighed as she looked at her hands, bottom of her palms also scraped up.

Her back straightened when she saw Chat Noir land right in front of her. She looked up, letting out a nervous laugh.

"C-Chat Noir!" She played surprised.

Chat Noir let out a breath of relief and knelt down. His eyes rested on her bloody knees. It was clear that she received them after Ladybug's cleansing. Else her knees would be healed.

"U-um..." Marinette stammered. She didn't know what to say to him. He was clearly worried about her and the way his eyes peered at her and his lips were pressed together in a slight frown made her jittery. "I guess you and Ladybug managed to save the day, huh?" She let out an awkward laugh and rubbed her neck apprehensively. His silence continued.

Then his ring beeped.

"Chat Noir! Your ring!" She shouted and looked to his ring. He was on his last minute. Despite her urgency, he didn't budge. "You should get going!" She pressed.

He didn't know why he wasn't moving. He was just glad that she was okay. His transformation was going to wear off soon but he couldn't find the strength in his limbs to escape. She could have died, he repeated to himself. Some part of him wanted her to know who he was, to blame him so that he could feel a little better.

The final beep sounded out and a distinct green flash appeared.

Marinette shouted and scrambled to turn around, shutting her eyes tightly. Even with her eyes closed, she saw the light die down and was now certain that Chat Noir was behind her in civilian form.

"What were you thinking?" She squeaked, putting her hands over her face. Why was he being so careless with his identity? Not that she wasn't trustworthy but he didn't know that.

Marinette felt a weight on her back as Adrien circled his arms around her. He dropped his head on her shoulder, blonde hair tickling her face and held her close. Her face, she was sure, was a bright red at his close proximity. But she kept her eyes forward.

"I'm sorry." He finally spoke.

"Why are you apologizing, Chat?" She sighed, a gentle smile tugging at her lips. She raised a hand and ran her fingers through his hair. It was a comforting gesture and it made him hold her tighter. He knew she was right in thinking that Chat Noir had no reason to apologize. Chat Noir wasn't the one who left her in the bus. Chat Noir wasn't the one who watched her like a lovesick kitten and induced a jealous girl's wrath.

He was sure he'd lost his mind. He wasn't thinking clearly when he decided to de-transform. He wasn't thinking about what kind of burden he'd place on her. He wasn't thinking that knowing his identity would possibly put her in danger (although it was his civilian form that was partly responsible for her danger this time.) He was so concerned with apologizing to her as Adrien and easing his conscience that he had done something stupid.

"I'm sorry." He apologized again. "Please don't turn around." He whispered and she could feel his warm breath on her skin, giving her goosebumps. Her shoulders shook as she tried to stifle her laughter.

"You release your transformation in front of me and now you don't want me to look? Are you feeling okay Chat?" She teased him.

"I'm not." He mumbled. He knew that he was being suspicious and un-Chat-like and she was probably confused by what was going on but she simply went along with him. He appreciated it.

After a moment of silence, he released her and stared at her back. He wondered how she felt in the bus all alone, how she felt when Ladybug told her to run, knowing the akuma was after her.

"You don't have to worry about me Chat Noir." She said quietly. It was silly of him to feel guilty. It's not like he knew the akuma was targeting her.

"That's impossible, Princess." He said too seriously for her liking.

"Am I another one of your damsels in distress?" Marinette asked, a teasing lilt in her tone, hoping to lighten the mood.

"You're more than that." He answered honestly. At the moment, he was certain that Chat Noir had earned the title of creep. But her giggling seemed to tell him otherwise.

"Such a smooth talker." She teased. "We've only met a few times. Have you fallen for me already?"

"Maybe." He answered in amusement. Adrien's lips curled up into a smile at her flirting. It was unexpected. Marinette stayed silent and he was sure that he had rendered her speechless. No matter what she dished out, it was still easy to embarrass her.

"I wasn't thinking when I released my transformation." He mumbled, changing the subject. He had to apologize. "Sorry. I was being selfish. It would be a burden on you." Adrien watched her straighten up, head still facing forwards. He had just implied that he wanted her to know had it not been for the responsibility put on her.

"You'd trust me? With your identity?" She asked lightly with a hint of surprise.

"I would. I trust you as much as I trust Ladybug."

Adrien heard her sigh and her shoulders relaxed. He could see her stretching her legs straight as she dropped her head a little to look at them. She was being oddly silent and he was sure now that she thought Chat Noir was officially a creep. His eyes lingered on her when she raised her head back up and something barely audible passed her lips.

"Adrien."

He froze.

She knew.

Marinette turned her head and gave him a gentle smile. He could only stare back at her in shock. She turned her body enough so that she could pull him into a hug. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he could still only stare forward in shock.

"Thank you for worrying about me. But I'm okay, really." She said soothingly as she absentmindedly combed her fingers through his hair.

"How— how did you...?" He swallowed the lump in his throat. He could feel her body shake as she giggled.

"Well, let's say you've bowed in front of me one too many times." She laughed. "Not to mention your reaction when you saw the bus." She supplied. She recalled the scene—he had looked absolutely terrified, thinking that she was still in there and the way her name desperately passed his lips—it made her shudder. She held him tighter. Adrien blinked. Had she still been there when he reached the bus? She couldn't have been close enough that she could see him and him not see her. The only ones there were him, Ladybug and the akuma.

"And who could mistake that mischievous little smirk of yours, _mon chaton _?" His breath stopped when he heard the nickname. He let the scent of lemons overtake him before pulling back and holding her at arm's length, eyes darting around and examining her thoroughly.

"My Lady?" Green eyes gazed into her blue ones and it just clicked. For months, the idea floated in and out of his mind, but he refused to dwell on it. He thought that he was just trying to make things convenient for himself, to combine the two girls that held his affection into one. That and the fact that Marinette was nowhere close to being graceful like Ladybug. But in the end, Marinette was Ladybug. Marinette was his Lady.

"Now will you listen to me when I tell you that you don't have to worry about me?" She tilted her head, a small amused smile splayed on her lips.

"Never." He grinned, earning a pout from her. He let his eyes wander to her knees then back up to her face to see her frowning. He opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off.

"Don't even," She rolled her eyes and he could clearly see the Ladybug in her now. He just grinned at her irritation. "Ladybug may be lucky but that doesn't transfer over to me." Marinette said in annoyance.

"To be honest, that's the main reason why I figured you couldn't be Ladybug. Ladybug always seemed so graceful and you... well..." He trailed off with a nervous smile, finger scratching his cheek mindlessly.

"Oh, I see." Marinette huffed and pulled herself up off of the ground. "Sorry to disappoint you. I'm not the perfect Ladybug that you like so much." She stalked off back towards the bus so that she could treat her knees. But a hand on her wrist stopped her. She spun around only to find her face in his hand, his thumb stroking her cheek gently. She flushed as he gazed at her seriously, eyes boring into hers. He stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder.

"You're right. You're the perfect Ladybug that I _love _." He said. Marinette was sure her knees would have given out had he not had her in his embrace. "Brave, kind, sassy—" He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. It took all her strength and willpower not to melt into a puddle before him as he drew closer to her. "Beautiful..." He whispered against her lips.

Her hands trembled as she placed them against his chest, gripping his shirt ever so slightly. Through his lidded eyes, he could see her eyes flutter close and he felt her lashes brush against his cheeks. Her lips were soft against his and he could taste the sweet lemonade over her skin. It was a chaste kiss, both of them filled with nerves. She pulled away first and averted her eyes, cheeks tinged pink.

"W-we should head back. I don't want to worry Alya and Nino." She breathed. Her hands were still on his chest as she tried to steady herself. Adrien felt something in his heart just burst as he watched the girl in front of him—admiration, adoration, affection. He wanted to pull her in for another kiss but what she said was true. They had to get back.

"We have to patch up those knees first." He grinned and she answered with a pout.

When they got back to the picnic area, Alya ran to Marinette and pulled her into a hug, sighing in relief. Pulling away, she examined the girl from head to toe and frowned at the newly bandage knees. Marinette laughed sheepishly, telling her friend that she tripped on a rock and fell.

"Girl..." Alya shook her head at her friend's clumsiness.

Nino went on to explain what had happened. Mlle. Bustier had asked the students to write a short paper reflecting on why it was inappropriate to play ball there as punishment. Then she asked them to apologize to Marinette once she came back. But the one girl who was the one who had hit the ball off course in the first place, refused. She complained that it wasn't her fault that Marinette was clumsy enough to make a mess of everything.

Alya had butted in, hearing the complaint and flipped out. Mlle. Bustier attempted to calm everyone down but the girl shoved Alya in irritation and that had earned her a call to her parents. Alya grunted in annoyance and shook her head.

"Girl, you should have heard her. She was clearly just jealous of you." Alya said, folding her arms across her chest. "She went on about how you were just pretending to be clumsy to get the boys' attention."

"Right. Because I love getting injured and getting scars all over." Marinette rolled her eyes, hearing the inane accusation again.

Because of the akuma attack, the trip ended early and the kids all filed onto the bus. Marinette sat together with Alya as usual and Adrien with Nino. He sighed contentedly with a goofy grin on his face as he sat down and Nino smirked at him.

"Good day?"

"Best day." Adrien said dreamily. He was still reeling over the fact that Ladybug had been sitting behind him all along. His sweet princess was his lady and that fact made him just want to soar through the sky and scream happily.

He was a little too happy, Nino thought. He knew his bud had fun today but not enough fun that he was sighing and grinning like a fool. That meant that something had happened during his alone time with Marinette. Nino nudged Adrien, waggling his eyebrows to try to get some answers. Adrien just smiled at Nino and said nothing more than that he had fun.

Alya on the other hand would not be satisfied with such an answer. She noticed how Marinette was wearing Adrien's shirt but made no mention of it until they were away from the boys. Marinette just blushed and said that he offered his shirt because her clothes were sticky, nothing more. Alya leaned in closer, eyeing Marinette skeptically.

"Hmm..." She hummed. "Are you sure nothing else went on in the bus, with just the two of you, alone, that required the removal of clothing?" Alya raised her brow suggestively and Marinette blushed a deep red, understanding completely what her friend meant.

"Alya!" She shouted as quietly as she could. Alya just backed away and laughed.

"Just saying. That would have been a good opportunity." She said in a sing-song voice and Marinette playfully slapped her arm. They were fifteen for goodness sake. What was going on through her perverted mind?

"Quit it."

When they returned to the school, Adrien was surprised to see that Gorilla was already there, waiting. Mlle. Bustier must have contacted everyone's families. He was a little disappointed, hoping that he'd be able to hang out with Marinette longer. It was Friday so it was unlikely that he'd get to see her until Monday unless an akuma attacked and he saw her as Chat Noir. He blinked, an idea suddenly coming to his head and he grinned.

He said his goodbyes to Alya and Nino and then turned to Marinette. He walked up to her and leaned in close, whispering something in her ear before backing away and waving at them. He walked to the car in merriment and left the three friends there, confused.

"What was that?" Both Nino and Alya turned to Marinette excitedly but she was still frozen to the spot. "Earth to Marinette~" Alya cooed. Marinette finally pulled herself out of her stupor and blushed wildly.

"Ah, no, um, it was nothing!" Marinette squeaked. It was definitely not nothing. The looks that her friends gave her displayed their skepticism and she knew she had to escape before they tried to weasel it out of her. She gripped her bag tightly and backed away from the hounding couple. "I gotta go! See you Monday!" She said and dashed off.

_'I'm going to see you tonight.' _

Marinette brought a hand up to her burning face as she ran. He was unbelievable.


	2. Vanilla

She didn't think that he was serious. At least she hoped he wasn't. But when she heard the light footsteps coming from above her, she knew it could only be one thing. Sure, spending nights with him was relatively normal—with them as Ladybug and Chat Noir, anyway. But the idea of him coming to her home specifically to see her and not to patrol was a whole other matter.

Marinette's cheeks burned furiously as she thought about the blonde that was currently on her roof. She pressed her palms against her face and squished her cheeks together as if the pressure would take the redness and heat away. She needed to gather her wits before going to see him. Slapping her cheeks and straightening her posture, she strode across her room and huffed before climbing up the ladder to her loft.

Marinette opened the hatch to the roof and peeked out, unnoticed by Chat. She raised an eyebrow, blue eyes rolling back and forth as they trailed the pacing figure. His black, leather-clad body blended in perfectly with the night sky but the moonlight bounced off of his golden hair, giving it a soft, ethereal glow. She silently mused that perhaps he hadn't thought that far ahead into their midnight rendezvous as he looked a little distraught.

"You're going to wear a hole in my roof if you keep that up."

Chat Noir literally jumped up, startled by her voice and landed on the railing of the roof, eliciting a laugh from the girl. She hoisted herself up onto the roof and Chat gave her the once over, taking in the sight of her pink tulip hem shorts and loose, off-shoulder tee. The delicate curve of her neck to her shoulder was enough to send his mind reeling and he wondered how he was going to survive the rest of the night if something as simple as a shoulder was making him go crazy.

"Good evening, Marinette." He grinned, shoving his inner turmoil into the deep recesses of his mind. She cocked her head slightly to the side and her hair swept gently across her bare shoulder. He gulped. It's just a shoulder. Hell, she was barely clothed earlier that day at the pool. He could do this!

Marinette snorted slightly, giving him an amused smirk.

"Evening? It's almost midnight." She pointed out. "You should be sleeping. Don't you have a busy schedule, Monsieur Model?" She teased.

This was good. Her nerves were calm. Even though it had been a while since Marinette had her suspicions about his identity, she always found it easy to talk normally to Chat. Perhaps it was his mask that kept her from making a fool of herself. She did remember once telling Tikki that it'd be easier to talk to him without seeing his face.

"I do. But I'm sure I can squeeze you in." He began approaching her with an almost predatory look in his eyes that it made her heart race. "After all," He took her hand in his. "You are my top priority, Princess." He purred and brought her hand to his lips.

Her cheeks blazed up. Okay. She took it back. Maybe talking to Chat wasn't going to be as easy as she thought. An amused grin stretched across his face and she couldn't help but feel irritated, knowing that he was purposely teasing her. Two can play at that game.

"Would you like to come in?" She asked innocently and he just blinked at her. He wasn't expecting the invitation, thinking they were just going to spend some time together on the rooftop. She stood on her tippy toes and leaned in, whispering in his ear. "It's hardly _private _out here."

Her quiet voice had a husky note to it and he felt his knees weaken slightly. He wasn't sure if he should accept or not. Sure, it was his idea to come here in the dead of the night but he wasn't sure about being in her bedroom, in the dead of the night, _alone _. Seeing that he wasn't responding, Marinette thought that maybe she took it too far. She giggled. She was starting to see more of Adrien in Chat Noir.

"Come on, there are some leftover vanilla eclairs. They won't be good anymore tomorrow so let's have a late night snack." She smiled. Chat's eyes lit up at the mention of the pastries and Marinette couldn't help but laugh.

"Pastries, my favorite! See? You like fashion, my dad's a fashion designer. I like pastries, your dad is a baker. We're clearly _purr _fect for each other." Clearly, he had gathered himself and was able to start with his ridiculous flirting again. Marinette just chuckled and shook her head before turning to go back down the hatch.

Chat followed behind, waiting for her to get off the bed before he came down. Once he was in, he looked around the area and then back up.

"Now I see where you get your killer arms from." He said mirthfully, taking note that there was no ladder for her to get out of the hatch. That meant that she had to pull herself up to get up there. Marinette just rolled her eyes at his Cheshire-like grin.

"Wait here, I'll be back."

Chat watched her descend from the loft and then disappear through the hatch on the floor, most likely getting the eclairs she was talking about. He also decided to climb down from the loft, feeling it was inappropriate for him to be in her bed. As he waited, he looked around her room, seeing not much has changed since he'd last been in there. Though, while the room hasn't changed, everything else had.

He was standing in Ladybug's room. Ladybug was always a mystery to him, preferring to keep her identity a secret. But now he was here, in the middle of her room, where she spent at least a third of her time (yes, sleeping counted) and where all her personal touches adorned the room. He had never felt so close to his lady.

He heard Marinette come back up and she closed the hatch quietly as to not wake her parents. His throat felt parched, realizing again that they were alone together in her room, but this time, _without _her parents' knowledge.

"Why don't you have a seat?" She gestured over to her chaise.

The two made themselves comfortable on the chaise with the tray of eclairs and tea in between them. Chat was thankful that she also brought something to drink because he kept finding himself feeling thirsty. He had to keep calm. So far so good. Everything was progressing smoothly.

"Tikki, I brought you a snack." Marinette held up an eclair and Chat saw a red blur float down from her loft. He blinked at the creature that happily grabbed the eclair and then floated in front of him.

"Hi!" She said giddily with a cute high pitched giggle.

"You're..."

"Tikki! Marinette's Kwami. It's nice to meet you." She gave him a big smile and he returned it.

He was a little surprised, not expecting the kwami to be friendly. Tikki was so different from Plagg. She was nice and bubbly and he was a little jealous. Not to say that he didn't like Plagg but he wished the little black cat had a little more enthusiasm. Tikki giggled again.

"Is Plagg doing well?" She asked, her blue eyes growing wide in curiosity.

"You know Plagg?" Chat asked. He never thought about it before but that would make sense.

"Of course I do. Our chosen ones have only been partners for eons." She rolled her eyes with another giggle and he suddenly felt silly for asking. He smiled, wondering if that's where Ladybug got her eye roll from.

"I'll let you ask him yourself then. You must miss each other." Chat Noir grinned and released his transformation. He heard a small yelp besides him as Marinette tumbled off the chaise, completely surprised.

It was the first time seeing it before her very own eyes, Chat Noir turning back to Adrien. It somehow solidified the fact even more, that they were the same. She just stared at the boy who was laughing and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. She was pulled out of her shock when she heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Tikki!"

Marinette looked over to see a small cat-shaped Kwami flying towards her own and she couldn't help but smile.

"Plagg!" The two Kwamis embraced each other and Adrien was flabbergasted by Plagg's un-Plagg-like behavior. He never pegged the black Kwami as one to give hugs. "Well," Tikki turned her attention back to the teens. "Plagg and I have lots to catch up on so we'll leave you kids be." She giggled and grabbed Plagg before zooming back up onto the loft.

Adrien heard a soft giggle and turned to see Marinette pulling herself up from the floor and returning to her spot on the chaise.

"They must have missed each other." Marinette smiled, gazing up towards her bed. She sometimes wondered if Tikki ever got lonely. She was always forced to stay in her purse and her only talking companion had been Marinette. So it was nice to see her so ecstatic over seeing an old friend.

"Yeah. I've never seen Plagg show a shred of affection for anything aside from cheese, so this is new." He said. A hint of annoyance crossed his features as he thought about how Plagg's favorite cheese just had to be camembert.

Cheese. Marinette made a mental note of what Plagg liked so that she could treat him too, the next time he was over. She blushed at the thought. If there was a next time anyway. She thought that it was perfectly in her capabilities to royally screw something up and make Adrien withdraw his statement about loving her. Her cheeks grew warm as she remembered his words.

The two began small chatter as they enjoyed their eclairs, just simple conversations about school and the like. Anything to take away from the awkwardness of the situation. It was amazing how much having their masks allowed them to be confident and speak so freely. But with them gone, it was nerve-wracking. What was it that they said about anonymity?

"Alya's been telling me that she's close to figuring out who Ladybug really is." Marinette chuckled as she thought of her friend. She actually found it surprising that the blogger hadn't already figured it out. "Actually, the day after she was akumatized, she came over and showed me a picture of you with Chat Noir's costume drawn on and suggested that you looked like him. If only she'd do the same for me." Marinette laughed. "Though I don't think I'd want to deal with the consequences of her knowing."

"Is that when you started thinking I was Chat Noir?" Adrien licked some vanilla ganache off of his finger and went for another eclair. He was going to indulge himself while he could.

"Nope! I was pretty convinced that you two weren't the same." She remarked. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. She still wasn't looking his way as she talked. Even though the light in the room was dim, he could see her pink-tinged cheeks. He couldn't blame her. It was pretty forward of him to invite himself over like this. He mused, if it had been Ladybug, she would have definitely turned him away. But Marinette didn't have the nerves to do so. He inwardly grinned at the difference in personality.

"So? What let the cat out of the bag?" Adrien asked. Marinette laughed at his attempt to add cats into the conversation. She then raised a finger to her chin and hummed, thinking about the answer to his question. It wasn't as if she just woke up one day and thought that Chat Noir must be Adrien. She'd spent a good deal of time observing both Chat and Adrien, taking in their similarities.

"Well... I guess I started having suspicions when you came over to help me with my uncle?" She let out a sheepish laugh. "The bow was strange but I didn't dwell on it too much since I was still freaking out about talking to my uncle. But after that, I guess I just subconsciously started picking up on the Chat-like things you do—the winking, the grins, and..." Marinette paused before she could say the rest,_ 'the way it felt whenever you put your arm around my shoulders.' _

"And?"

Marinette felt her cheeks burn and shook her head. She shifted her eyes and glanced shyly over to his expectant face. She blinked as she noticed some cream at the corner of his lips. She giggled at how utterly adorable he looked with his curiously wide eyes and cream on his mouth.

She raised a finger and ran it against his lips, wiping the cream off. He was visibly startled from the contact and she couldn't help but laugh. His cheeks were flushed and she appreciated that their roles were reversed for once.

"You got cream on your lip." She held her finger up to show him the small dollop of cream she wiped off. She turned away from him again, facing forward and absentmindedly sticking the finger in her mouth. He gulped, Adam's apple bobbing as he watched her lick the cream off of her finger. There was something erotic about her tongue gliding along her fingertip that made his insides twist into knots.

"You got some too." He heard his voice but it didn't register in his mind that he actually spoke. His mind was too occupied with the sight of the girl sitting next to him.

"Hm?" She turned her gaze back to him.

"Cream." He simply stated and leaned in closer. Marinette sat there rigidly, paralyzed by his approaching figure.

"Adri—" She started but a sharp intake of breath took over as she felt his tongue sweep across the corner of her lips. Her heart was pounding and heat rushed to her head, making her dizzy. She swayed slightly and he placed a hand on her arm to steady her.

Adrien pulled away just far enough that their foreheads were barely touching. He closed his eyes and sighed. He could feel her warm breath blow against his skin, the sweet scent of vanilla overtaking him.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked in a whisper.

If she hadn't been in a daze, she would have teased him for asking. Especially after he'd just licked her. But he was so close and it made her forget everything else. He felt her bangs brush against him as she nodded lightly.

Without a second thought, he captured her lips with his, relishing in their softness. He heard her gasp as he slid his tongue across her lips, begging to taste her. He took that as an open invitation and found her tongue with his. She tasted even better than the vanilla eclairs that they just had and he found himself becoming intoxicated by her. His hand fumbled around for the tray and pushed it to the other side of the chaise. Once the obstacle was out of the way, he slid his hands around her waist and pulled her closer.

When Marinette realized she was nearly on top of him, she broke away from the kiss. She could hear a whimper of protest come from him. Her blue eyes gazed over his features and she was surprised to see such a foreign expression on his face. His green eyes gleamed hungrily in the dim light and his lips were raw from their kisses. It was a mesmerizing sight. She leaned back down and kissed him again, straddling him as he leaned back against the back of the chaise. Her hands roamed along his chest and she could feel his racing heart that matched her own.

They drew away from each other only to catch their breaths. In the back of his mind, he wondered what would happen if her parents knew that their sweet, innocent daughter was currently making out with an equally _'innocent' _boy in her room in the middle of the night. He knew that her parents thought well of him and he hoped that that impression would remain. It was selfish, he knew, to hope that he remained in their good graces while he snuck into their home to make up with their precious daughter.

"Adrien," Her voice came out breathlessly against his lips. He hummed in acknowledgement but still sought for her lips. "We should stop." She said.

Adrien sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Stopping was the last thing he wanted to do but what he wanted didn't matter. Marinette's words were his command. She felt her heart pang at his reaction.

"I-it's getting late and— I didn't want to—" She wrenched her hands nervously, hoping that he didn't take it the wrong way.

"I know," He gave her a gentle smile to reassure her that he understood. It was good that she wanted to stop because he knew that if they went any further, he might not have the willpower to stop.

She shifted on his lap to get up and he inhaled sharply as his eyes closed and his head fell back into the cushion. There was an unmistakable blush on his face and she paused when she felt something against her thigh. Realization hit her and she blushed wildly. He blurted out an apology in embarrassment.

"Ah, no—I'm—Sorry, I didn't—" She nervously stumbled on her words and quickly got off of him. He sat up and dropped his searing face into his palm. Then there was a giggle. He looked up to see her still with rosy cheeks, trying hard to suppress her laughter. He couldn't help but join in. They were an awkward mess. When their laughter died down, they gazed at each other shyly.

"You laughed." She said, a serene smile on her face. He blinked. "You're always smiling or grinning but I've never heard you laugh aside from when we first met." She clarified. She always wondered about it. She loved his laughter but as she watched him throughout the year, she had never heard the sound again. Even Chat Noir, being as silly as he was never came close to laughing. It really gave her insight on who he really was and it saddened her that he felt too reserved to let his voice out.

He never realized it. There were many instances he recalled where he was close to laughing but he supposed he never did laugh out loud. His cheeks warmed up as he thought of how she noticed his lack of laughter. It made him feel fuzzy inside that she had cared enough to notice something like that.

"You should do it more often." She spoke again, pulling him from his thoughts. "I like your laugh." He blushed and nodded. She twiddled her fingers awkwardly and he smiled at her cuteness.

"It's nearly 1am. I should probably get going." Adrien offered, figuring he'd already made her uncomfortable enough. But when he saw the look of disappointment momentarily flicker through her eyes, he wanted to take it back. Before he could say anything else, she nodded and smiled.

"You're right. You need your beauty sleep." She grinned and it was his turn to roll his eyes.

"I'm always beautiful." He said dramatically, making her laugh. She agreed with him and held her hand out to help him up. They proceeded to head back up towards the roof and Adrien apologized to Tikki for taking Plagg away so soon. Plagg pouted but Tikki just smiled saying there's always next time. They climbed out onto the roof and he walked ahead, towards the railing. He reluctantly turned around to bid his farewell but she spoke first.

"I guess I'll see you Monday." Marinette smiled shyly. It'd be the first time they'd be in school, knowing each other's identities for sure. There was an unreadable expression on his face and she watched him curiously as he began to walk back towards her. She was surprised when he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in the crook of her neck. He sighed, breath tickling her.

Adrien inhaled her scent. She smelled like vanilla too. He was just so comforted by her presence and the idea of going home felt so _wrong _. Even though his room contained everything that a rambunctious boy could ever dream of, it just didn't feel like home to him. It didn't have the warmth and coziness that Marinette's home had.

"Adrien?"

"I don't want to wait until Monday." He breathed.

Marinette wasn't sure if it was the cool breeze that just blew by or Adrien's breath that gave her goosebumps. She trembled slightly and he held her closer. Plagg would probably yell at him later for crushing him but he didn't care at the moment. He let his lips trail along her neck and her quiet whimper urged him to continue. Her face seared as he continued his ministrations, now slinking down to her collarbone. She clenched her already closed eyes as he sucked on the sensitive flesh and she was sure that he left a mark.

"A-Adrien!" She jerked away and took a few steps back, scolding him. He looked surprised for a second before a cat-like grin made its way onto his face. He eyed the reddened mark that he left on her collarbone with a sense of satisfaction.

"You'd better hope I can cover this up with makeup." She frowned, blush still on her face.

"Or else?" He teased, eyes gleaming like a cat's, even though he wasn't transformed.

Adrien expected her to get angry and pout cutely but she did no such thing. He blinked as she just stared at him. Somewhere in his mind, he was telling himself to just apologize and admit defeat. She was definitely planning something and he was going to be sorry. He was right. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of thinking that he won.

Marinette smirked and sauntered over to him, her swaying hips drawing his eyes down towards them. Before he knew it, she had reached him and snaked her arms around his neck. The way she looked at him through her lidded eyes with a smirk playing across her lips made him nervous. She leaned up towards his ear, much like she did earlier.

"Bad kitties need to be punished." She purred in his ear before trailing kisses along his jaw.

"M-Mari—" He clenched his eyes shut, heat travelling up to his face when her lips latched onto his neck. He felt a pleasurable tickle from her lips but before he could enjoy himself anymore, she pulled away and stepped back. She sent him a sly smile.

"Good luck explaining that during your photoshoot." Her eyes lowered deviously. "Good night kitty cat." She smirked and turned around to go back to her room, leaving a dumbfounded Adrien standing on her rooftop.

"W-What just happened?" Adrien let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. But all he got in reply was Plagg's cackling.

—

"That wasn't nice, My Lady."

Ladybug whirled around, surprised to see Chat Noir standing behind her. It was her turn to patrol that night so she hadn't expected to see him. But judging from his words, she knew exactly why he was there. An amused smile ghosted over her lips and she turned away, throwing her yoyo to swing to the top of the Eiffel Tower for one last look over Paris before heading home. She knew Chat would follow. He landed nimbly next to her and stood up, facing her. She, however, kept her eyes over Paris.

"Seriously, Nathalie started firing questions at me first thing in the morning and I had no clue what was going on." Chat Noir frowned and raised a hand to his neck. He was thankful that it was too dark for her to see the blush on his face. Ladybug's laugh rang out through the night sky and it made him frown even more. "It's great that you find this so funny. I had to lie to her and my father that it was from a bug bite."

"Well that wouldn't be far from the truth would it?" She turned to him, eyes crinkled in amusement. Her words made him blush even harder. He quickly turned away, trying his hardest to try to look angry.

"I'm pretty sure Father didn't believe me." Chat sighed.

"Maybe you should have thought of that before marking me, hmm?" She chuckled. "It was so hot today that no amount of makeup wanted to stay on. I ended up having to wear a scarf. A scarf! In this weather!"

"You're into fashion. No one would think it's weird." He argued. Ladybug snorted.

"Are you kidding me? My mom figured me out right away. I'm not exactly the best at lying. You're lucky she likes you."

Chat's ears twitched as he perked up from the news. He turned back to her, eyes wide, a big grin making its way onto his face. His tail swished around wildly and she regretted telling him that tidbit of information.

"You didn't tell her what really happened, did you?" He was curious about how the conversation went down. He doubted that she revealed his identity and mentioned that he snuck in. He was sure Sabine wouldn't be happy about that.

"Of course not. I told her it happened during the trip and that she just didn't notice it because my hair was down." She explained. She didn't want to recall how her mom had gushed about it. Normal parents weren't supposed to be happy when their child came home with a hickey. Ladybug groaned. _She even went on about how adorable her grandkids were going to be. _

"What?" Chat's voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she looked at him to see that his eyes were extra wide in shock.

"What?" She repeated him and blinked.

Oh. _Ohhh... _

Ladybug face grew so red that even Chat could tell because she had pretty much matched her costume. She had said that last part out loud.

"Ohhh god. I didn't—That wasn't—You weren't—" Ladybug sputtered, still blushing furiously. Chat had a blush of his own. He sat down, letting a leg dangle over the side and looked back out over the city, letting the breeze cool his burning cheeks.

"I wish we were older." He suddenly said, drawing her out of her embarrassment. She looked down at him and if she looked hard enough, she could see the pink cheeks peeking out from under his mask. He looked serious, unusual for his Chat Noir persona.

"Why?" She stooped down to his level and peered at him.

"So that I could ask you to marry me."

He had said it so calmly and seriously that she couldn't even go through her usual stages of freaking out. She only stared at him with rosy cheeks and lips parted in surprise.

"That way, I wouldn't have to worry about having to sneak around to see you. I wouldn't have to worry about going to the same school as you and being in the same class. I'd be able to see you first thing every morning and last thing every night."

His words were so sweet and she felt a fuzzy feeling in her chest. And when he turned to face her, eyes full of love, her chest tightened and she knew that she was completely and utterly in love with him.

"Y-you can still ask me, you know." She said nervously, averting her eyes from his piercing gaze. She heard him chuckle and her heart skipped a beat. She would never tire of hearing his laugh.

"Surely you deserve a better proposal than one where we're on the job." If he had to be honest, that wasn't the only reason why he didn't just pop the question. He had been clear about his feelings for her. But it wasn't the same the other way around. He knew that she cared for him and her actions had shown that maybe there was something more but she hadn't explicitly told him how she felt about him. So he wasn't exactly keen about the possibility of rejection.

"I don't need anything special." She said quietly and scooted closer to him, sitting down on the beam and letting her legs dangle. "I'm happy just being by your side." She leaned her head slightly against his arm and he looked down at her head curiously.

"You are?" He asked in astonishment.

"I am." She nodded, a smile gracing her lips at his bewilderment.

"Why?"

Ladybug chuckled. It sounded like he was trying to be silly but she knew that it was a serious question. She knew that he had his insecurities. Even though he sometimes joked about how great he was, she picked up on all the times that he put himself down. And it was something he did more often than she would have liked.

"Because you're my partner, my friend..." She said, voice trailing off.

Chat Noir's sigh dispersed into the night air and he returned his eyes to the scenery. He wondered if he was deluding himself. Neither Ladybug nor Marinette had really showed any interest in him, aside from their make out session from the night before. That was hardly enough to say she had romantic feelings for him. What was he expecting her to say?

"...I love you."

He stilled, not quite sure if the words were actually spoken or if he was imagining it. His wide eyes rested on her again to see her biting her lip, with a blush across her cheeks. She looked up at him with her bright eyes, stars dancing in them and it took his breath away. It was then that he knew they were her words.

He raised a clawed hand to her face, tilting her chin upwards before leaning down and pressing a kiss against her lips. The only thing that passed through his mind was how much he loved the girl before him. Even at the age of fifteen, he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

Other people would probably look at him and shake their heads, saying things along the lines of 'You're only fifteen, what do you know about love?' But to him, there was nothing truer than what he felt for her. He was irrevocably in love and nothing was ever going to change that.

She pulled away, giving him a coy smile.

"We should both head home. You shouldn't even be here." She tapped his nose with a finger and laughed before standing up. "Monday?" She tilted her head amusedly, expecting him to whine about not wanting to wait again. But he only grinned in return.

"Of course, My Lady."

—

Of course he had lied. Well, lying would be an overstatement. He simply agreed with her when she said Monday. He never said that he wasn't going to see her Sunday. So she just shook her when he landed on her rooftop after his patrol.

"Chat..." She said warningly as she climbed out of the hatch and looked at him with displeasure. The both of them were going to be dead tired if these late night liaisons continued. He ignored her frown and approached her, helping her up. She couldn't stay upset with him when he looked so absolutely giddy. "You're in a good mood." She remarked and his smile grew bigger.

"Of course I am. Because I get to see you, Marinette. I thought you'd be sleeping."

"You thought I'd be sleeping but you came by anyway?" She raised an eyebrow and he chuckled sheepishly, in apology. "So, what is it this time?" She folded her arms and peered at him. Still with a joyful look on his face, he released his transformation, taking her by surprise. She was never going to get used to that. She blushed when Adrien's form appeared before her, wearing a pressed buttoned shirt that was tucked into his black slacks. A pair of black leather dress shoes covered his feet and a tie and blazer topped his ensemble. She wondered why he was dressed so sharply.

Plagg floated towards her hatch and phased through the glass door, leaving the kids alone. He'd much rather hang with Tikki but he mused that Tikki would probably want to watch what was about to go down.

Marinette shifted her weight onto one leg and placed a hand on her hip, letting the other dangle by her side. She's felt severely self-conscious, dressed in shorts and a tee when he looked so dashing. But she couldn't be blamed.

"Way to make me feel underdressed for bed." She muttered.

Without any words, Adrien knelt down and took her hand into his and pressed a kiss against her knuckles. She felt light-headed, not used to such attention as Marinette, and most definitely not when the offending party was Adrien and not Chat Noir. He released her hand and reached inside his jacket, pulling out a small red velvet box. She felt her breath hitch in her throat, not daring to think about what was inside.

But he'd already opened it and she stared at the small ring that sparkled under the moonlight.

"Marinette, will you marry me?" His voice was soft and she swore that his eyes were the brightest she'd ever seen them. They were filled with such a genuine loving innocence that she thought her heart was going to explode. She raised her hands up to cover her heated cheeks and internally squealed. He had actually gone out a bought her a ring to propose to her. Even after she said she didn't need anything special.

"Ohh, you silly cat!" She peeked out from her hands before swooping down and pulling him in for a kiss. When she pulled away, he breathlessly chuckled.

"I'll take that as a yes?" He grinned cheekily and she could only nod with a simper. He removed the ring from its protective box and slid it onto her finger. She took the time to admire the ring. It fit her perfectly. It wasn't anything too extravagant but she thought it was breathtakingly beautiful. It was a platinum band with a small princess cut diamond (rightfully so for his princess) in the center and two pink sapphires adorning the sides. It still must have cost quite a bit and she bit her lip worriedly.

"Oh, Adrien. You didn't have to. This must have cost so much." She didn't want him spending his hard-earned money on her. It was clearly more than what a regular fifteen year-old could afford.

"Not at all. I'm sorry, this was all I could get. I wanted to get something nicer but father would probably raise hell on earth if he found a questionable sum of money being drained from my account." He laughed. She briefly wondered what amount would _not _be questionable.

"You're crazy! It's beautiful." She pulled her hand closer to her body and held it with the other protectively. "This is more than enough. I won't accept anything else." She said to him with wide eyes, as if he were going to take it away.

"If you think that I'm not going to shower you with gifts, then you're completely mistaken." He chuckled when she pouted. He was sure his dad would be fond of her (well, as fond as Gabriel Agreste could be). She was a fabulous designer and she wasn't a gold digger. Adrien watched her contentedly as she admired the ring. Then a moment of stark realization hit her and she stared at the ring with wide eyes.

"H-how am I going to explain this? Mom is going to flip out and Alya, oh Alya—" She brought her hands up to her head and grabbed her hair in terror. Alya was going to totally flip her shit. Before the weekend, Adrien and Marinette were just friends that barely hung out together. How would she go about explaining that within a span of two days, he had proposed and she said yes? His laughter drew her out of her panic.

"You don't have to wear it." He said, casting her a gentle smile. He didn't mean to do anything to put her in an awkward position with everyone. He just wanted to propose and there was no way he was doing it empty-handed. She looked at him as if he'd grown two heads and her mouth fell into the most adorable looking frown.

"But I want to." She whined. Oh, how he just wanted to wrap her up into his arms and never let go. She stood up and held her hands out to him. He took them and pulled himself up. She was about to ask him to come in when a red blur shot out and latched onto her cheek happily.

"Oh, Marinette!" Tikki laughed as she snuggled against the girl's cheek. Marinette giggled from the ticklish act. "I can't believe it. You two are so adorable!" She gushed. Marinette looked at Adrien's smiling face with Plagg by his side.

"Come in?" She asked.

"As much as I'd love to," He squeezed her hands. "It's late and I don't want to keep you from getting your rest." He raised her hands and pressed a kiss to both of them. "I'll see you tomorrow." She nodded.

"Tomorrow."

—

Getting by her mother was easier than expected. She grabbed a croissant to go and rushed out of the door towards the school. She looked at the ring, shining under the sun as she ran and her heart fluttered. She wondered how far in the day she'd get before Alya noticed it.

The answer was...

...Not far. Not far at all.

Alya's eyes zeroed in on the ring almost immediately after seeing the designer. She looked back up to Marinette's flushed face and gripped her shoulders tightly.

"What. Is. That?"

She looked absolutely terrifying, Marinette thought. The girl's eyes were wide and demanding and her lips were twisted into a scowl. She didn't expect Alya to see it so quickly and still didn't have a story planned out yet. She was suddenly extra glad that the love bite on her collarbone had lightened enough to be easily covered with makeup. Nothing but squeaks and mumbles escaped her lips as she shrunk away from Alya's prying gaze. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Nino and Adrien walking towards the school's steps. Great, she thought. The one person she didn't want to appear in front of her at the moment. Adrien's eyes met hers and she thought her face would burst into flames. Alya noticed that Marinette's eyes went astray and turned around to see the two boys. There was a distinct blush on Adrien's face. Alya's jaw dropped and she turned back to Marinette, shaking her vigorously.

"Marinette, you answer me right now. Did you get this ring from Adrien Agreste." Marinette could feel the sweat seeping out of her pores from Alya's intense gaze. Her mouth flapped open a few times but nothing came out. "Marinette!" She winced.

"Um... y-yes?"

Alya released her and held her head in her hands. She began pacing around in circles, eyes wide in disbelief. Marinette straightened her clothes and looked at her friend who was clearly having a mini-meltdown. She could hear her saying 'oh my god' over and over again. Marinette wasn't sure how to take Alya's reaction. Said girl finally stopped her pacing and turned towards Marinette.

"What are you not telling me?" She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the shorter girl.

"W-what are you talking about?"

"Don't 'what are you talking about' me! You guys were barely talking on Friday and now you have a ring on your wedding finger. Oh my god. Don't tell me you guys have been secretly dating this whole time and that-that you're p-pregnant!"

"What? No!" Marinette blushed. The gears in her mind spun quickly, trying to formulate a story that would satisfy the blogger. "I was out shopping yesterday and the ring was on display at the jewelry store. I was admiring it when I bumped into him. He noticed me ogling at it so he just got it for me as thanks for the fun time he had on Friday." She was impressed with herself. Yes, the story was lame but she had at least said it in a believable manner. Alya raised an eyebrow and she pulled Marinette's hand up, studying the ring.

"That does not look like a ring that you just_ get _someone. Looks like it cost _at least _a thousand." Alya frowned. Marinette felt light-headed at the amount that Alya just uttered. She sure hoped he didn't spend that much. She would've been happy with just a cheap toy ring. "Unless..." She eyed the fashion designer. "...that fun time he was talking about wasn't about the pool." Alya waggled her brows at Marinette suggestively. She had just about combusted right then and there.

"Alya! I told you nothing like that happened!" Marinette blushed furiously.

"I don't know Marinette. A thousand Euros for a pretty girl's virginity doesn't seem too steep."

"Alya!" Marinette's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe the vulgarity coming out of her best friend's mouth. "Ooh...' She covered her face in utmost embarrassment. Alya came to her side and swung her arm around her shoulders and began walking her into the school.

"Well, that's what I'm going to think until you tell me what really happened." Alya smirked and she only got muffled replies in return as Marinette still had her face buried in her hands. When they entered the classroom, she avoided Adrien's gaze and Nino only raised a curious eyebrow at her flushed face.

Alya sat down in her seat and leaned forward, folding her arms on top of the desk. She greeted the two boys in front of her and they turned around to return the gesture. Her eyes then landed on Adrien and a puckish grin formed on her lips. For some reason, he felt oddly wary of her. His eyes momentarily shifted over to Marinette when he heard her groan. She had her head down on the desk, hiding her face from view.

"So, Adrien..." Alya made sure to speak low enough so their other classmates couldn't hear. "I saw the gift you got Marinette. Very nice. Must have cost quite a bit."

"What gift?" Nino blinked, completely out of the loop. Alya ignored him and continued to peer at the blonde boy. His eyes shifted over Marinette again to see that she had tilted her head up, staring at him with desperate, wide eyes. He had absolutely no clue what Marinette told Alya and didn't know what to say to proceed. He'd just have to wing it.

"Um... Not really. It was part of my dad's collection so I was able to get my hands on it pretty easily." He said cautiously, eyes still flitting over to Marinette for any sign of validation. She seemed content with his answer until Alya's amused humming sent her into a panic again.

"Still a bit much for a thank you gift though..." Alya remarked. Nino piped up again about said gift but was ignored again much to his irritation. Before Alya could continue, Marinette groaned.

"Kill me. Just kill me now." She muttered before sitting up, propping her elbows on the desk and pressing her palms against her eyes.

"Whoa, sweet ring, Marinette." Nino blinked at the piece of jewelry and turned to Adrien. "Did you get her that?" He had spoken a little too loudly as the rest of the class turned towards them.

In a sudden, overpowering terror, Marinette stood up quickly, still feeling everyone's eyes on her. She rushed out of her seat and on the way down, she pulled Adrien along with her, the two disappearing out of the classroom doors. The class was left confused and only Alya had an amused smile on her face. Perhaps she took it too far. Nino shot her a baffled look so she began texting him what that whole scene was about.

Marinette panted, bent over and hands resting on her knees as Adrien stood by her, slightly worried and infinitely confused. She had dragged him to an empty corner of the school in hopes of avoiding prying eyes.

"Sorry about that..." She breathed and tried to calm her racing heart. She straightened up to meet his worried gazed and a blush stretched across her cheeks. "I told her that you bought me the ring as a thank you for the fun time on Friday, since you know, I dragged you out to the pool and everything. She misconstrued the meaning of fun time..." Her voice trailed off in sheer humiliation. "Alya, she—" She started but her voice caught in her throat at the thought of the rest of the statement. She took another deep breath. "She thinks that we did something—um—did it..." Oh, she thought her face was going to melt off. "...on the bus on Friday and that you bought me the ring in compensation."

"Did what?" He blinked at her before pausing. It took him a few moments longer before his own face grew warm. "...oh." He brought a hand up to cover his burning cheeks.

"I'm so sorry. She made you uncomfortable." Marinette frowned as she pulled out her phone and began typing furiously. Adrien watched her face go from angry, to surprised, to embarrassed and back to angry as she texted who he only assumed was Alya.

"That's a pretty bold assumption on her part." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, finally responding to the bombshell that she just dropped. Surely Alya thought better of him? He didn't seem like the kind of guy who would have sex with a girl and then buy his way out of guilt, did he?

"Isn't it? Sure I may have had the biggest crush on you but I wouldn't have done something so irresponsible." She ranted, barely looking up from her phone. But when she realized what she just said, she stopped her typing and slowly looked up from her phone to Adrien's face. She caught just a glimpse of surprise before a wide grin spread across his face. "We should get back to class!" She squeaked and zoomed off.

When she returned to the classroom, all eyes were on her. It was nerve-wracking but at least Chloé was still absent. She didn't want to have to deal with the obnoxious blonde, especially when Adrien was involved. She was certain that if the mayor's daughter had been there earlier, all hell would have broken loose.

"Ugh! Move it will you."

Marinette felt a hard shove against her back and she yelped as she flew forward to the ground. She spoke (or rather thought) too soon. She should have known that her luck wasn't that great. Chloé humphed as she walked by and Sabrina followed behind.

"Chloé, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop picking on my girlfriend."

Marinette blinked as a hand appeared in front of her, offering her assistance. The rest of the class gasped at the statement and she looked up to see Adrien grinning at her all too happily. There was a sharp cry of protest and they turned their attention to Chloé, whose mouth was wide open in disbelief.

"Wha-What do you mean girlfriend?" She screeched. Cheers and whistles erupted from the back of the class and Chloé just stamped her feet childishly. Then she gasped and pointed accusingly at Marinette. "Don't tell me... The picnic... You...! You sneaky little—!"

Adrien ignored her and escorted a blushing Marinette back to her seat and proceeded to sit down himself. Chloé went over to his side and slammed her hands on his desk.

"Adrien! Tell me it isn't true, that she's blackmailing you or something." She glared at him with wide desperate eyes. She just looked so absolutely ridiculous that he couldn't help but chuckle. She recoiled and gasped and the classroom fell into silence. "You... laughed." She pointed out and then directed her glare at Marinette, pointing a finger at her accusingly. "What did you do to him?"

"That's enough of your histrionics, Chloé." Adrien grinned. "Class is about to start." He said and pointed to the door where Mlle. Bustier just entered. Chloé frowned and marched back to her seat. A few more giggles echoed through the classroom and Adrien felt more full of himself than he should have. All the guys in the school adored Marinette but he was the one that managed to grab her attention. He couldn't wipe the stupid grin off of his face and he was sure that even Mlle. Bustier was getting a little weirded out by it.

By lunchtime, Alya had already grabbed Nino and went out the door, dashing any plans of the two girls having lunch together. Marinette frowned. She expected Alya to pull her away to explain things fully but it seemed that she was satisfied with her own version of what happened. Rose and Juleka walked by and congratulated her, Rose giving her a big hug. Ivan and Mylene came down next and Ivan patted her gently on the head. After that, the trio of Kim, Alix and Max came by, whistling and hooting at her. She blushed from all the attention. Lastly, Nathaniel came down and gave her a shy smile. She felt her heart twinge, knowing well that he liked her.

"I'm happy for you Marinette." He said. She nodded and thanked him quietly, feeling badly about crushing the poor boy's heart. He then turned his attention to Adrien and held his fist up for a pound. "You're a lucky guy Adrien." He said. Adrien grinned and bumped his fist against Nathaniel's.

"I know." He said and Nathaniel exited the room. Chloe and Sabrina were the last two to leave, the former shooting daggers at Marinette on her way out.

"Well... that was strange. They were all acting as if I'd just gotten married or something. I hope Alya didn't say anything weird." Marinette mumbled. She pulled out her phone and texted Alya about it.

"Well, it only means good things for me." Adrien turned around in his seat and smiled. "I don't have to worry about anyone snatching you away."

"Aren't you a possessive one?" She quirked a brow.

"Didn't you know, cats are very territorial."

"Oh? I wasn't aware that you were a real cat." She giggled and stood up. "Want to come over for lunch?" She asked him and his eyes lit up. He nodded vigorously and it made her laugh. He quickly texted Nathalie that he was having lunch with a friend and to not have lunch prepared. If he got a scolding text in reply, he didn't care. When they left the school, Adrien quickly went over to Gorilla to tell him that he was going to have lunch at the bakery across the street. The large man just peered at Marinette and she shrank back in nervousness. The bodyguard noticed how happy Adrien was with the girl and he nodded silently in approval.

"Thanks." Adrien grinned. "I'll bring you back a box of macarons." He said, knowing that the man secretly had a sweet tooth.

The teens made their way to the bakery and Marinette commented on how surprisingly nice the Gorilla was. Adrien laughed and agreed. He was sure that all of those times he managed to 'escape,' it was because the bodyguard had felt bad for the boy and let him.

The bell by the entrance of the bakery chimed as they entered and Sabine looked more than happy to see Adrien.

"Hello, Madame Cheng." Adrien greeted Sabine politely and she looked positively giddy.

"Adrien! How good to see you." She smiled widely. Tom heard her from the back of the shop and poked his head out. A big grin appeared on his flour covered face.

"Welcome, son!' He let out a hearty laugh.

"Hello, Monsieur Dupain!" He replied with just as much vigor and Marinette couldn't help but roll her eyes at the ridiculous scene.

"Maman, I invited him for lunch, is that okay?" Marinette asked her mother.

"Of course it is." She was overly enthusiastic. "Come, come." She ushered them towards the back so that they could go upstairs. I'll bring you up some of that quiche you like so much, dear."

Marinette felt a little annoyed, finding it odd how quickly her family took to the boy even though they've only met him a few times. Sure he was charming, but sometimes she felt like they were practically handing her over on a silver platter. Knowing her parents, they were probably thinking something along the lines of 'Holy crap, he's such a good boy. We have to ship this or else she might end up with someone no good.' She guessed she couldn't blame them. He pretty much was the total package.

"Well aren't you glad that my parents totally adore you?" Marinette placed her bag down on the sofa before heading over to the kitchen to grab some plates and utensils. He followed her and she gestured over to the stools by the table for him to sit. She filled two glasses with iced tea and moved to the table to sit with him.

"What's not to love?" He asked. He still had that shit-eating grin on his face ever since she blurted out that she had a crush on him. She figured it was okay though. The boy definitely needed an ego boost.

"You're right. I'm sure they think you make great husband material." She added, only to see his face brighten up even more. She giggled at his elation.

"Oh, what's this I hear about husband?" Sabine came flurrying in with a quiche in one hand and a plate of cupcakes in the other. Marinette flushed, not realizing that her mom had entered.

"Maman..." Marinette whined and the woman just laughed.

Sabine stepped between the two teens and placed the dishes down on the table. They both thanked her and she nodded. That was when she caught sight of something sparkling in the corner of her eyes. She looked down at Marinette's hand and quickly pulled her daughter's hand closer to her face.

"Is this..." She started, eyes shifting over to look at Adrien's blushing face. She released the hand and brought her own up to her cheeks. "Ohh...! You two!" She giggled joyfully before pattering off to go back down to the bakery. "So cute!" They'd heard before she disappeared completely.

"See what I mean?" Marinette sighed, blush still evident on her face. She glanced over to him to see that his egomaniacal grin was gone and was replaced with a shy smile.

"Yeah, your parents are something else. I'm glad." He chuckled, looking down at the perfectly frosted cupcakes. She frowned, when she saw a brief flicker of loneliness pass through his features. She knew that he didn't have the best relationship with his father and his mother wasn't in the picture. It must hurt to see how close her family was. She reached over and squeezed his hand.

"Well, they'll be your parents too, someday." She smiled. Adrien's eyes grew misty and he blinked rapidly to banish any trace of tears. "We should eat." She said, making no motion to point out his brief moment of weakness.

Marinette cut the quiche, placing a slice on his plate before her own. They talked about summer plans and briefly discussed end of year exams. Adrien was top of the class and Marinette was a fairly good student if you didn't take her attendance into account. So neither were worried about progressing into lycée. Adrien only hoped that his father would let him continue his public schooling.

"Don't worry. If you end up being home-schooled again, I'll make sure to bust you out every day to hang out with us." Marinette grinned. Adrien laughed, mentioning that he was fully capable of escaping himself. After they finished the quiche, they eyed the cupcakes on the plate.

"Nathalie will kill me if she finds out what I'm having for lunch." He laughed. He had a strictly planned diet at home and his meals often left much to be desired. The cupcakes were going to be a welcomed treat. He was sure that he got enough exercise as Chat Noir to burn off the extra calories.

"I'm pretty sure these are our yellow cupcakes." She pointed out. "We frost them differently depending on the kind cake."

"Do you help out at the bakery often?" He hummed in interest, wondering if she frosted any of the cupcakes on display downstairs.

"Just a bit during our normal days. It gets hectic during holidays so I'm usually busy during those times. Chocolate or vanilla?" She asked, letting him decide whether he wanted the one with chocolate frosting or vanilla. He seemed to ponder for a bit before picking the vanilla one. Marinette giggled.

"What?" He asked, wondering if there was something funny about his choice.

"I've always saw you as a chocolate kind of guy?" She smiled.

"Oh, I am. But I've recently found a new love for vanilla." His eyes crinkled in amusement as he took a bite out of his cupcake. He licked his lips suggestively and winked at her, making her blush furiously. He grinned, finding her reaction completely endearing. She pursed her lips and pouted.

"Y-you really are unbelievable."


End file.
